A Wicked Game [The Crown Saga II] (Under Editing)

Honest Heart

"Prince Calix, that's— I—"

I snapped my mouth shut.

The confidence with which he had presented his offer made it difficult for me to formulate a coherent sentence to politely decline it.

I didn't want to dance, but after repeatedly rejecting Calla and Piper's requests, agreeing to dance with Prince Calix almost felt like betraying them. "I-I'm flattered by the offer, but as I explained before—"

My sentence was cut short when Prince Calix suddenly grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the windows toward the tables.

"Nonsense, Miss Aldwyn. All suitors must have at least one dance before sunrise, and I'm confident that the next song is one you'll be unable to resist," he assured me, refusing to let go of my hand. "But first—"

I drew a sharp breath when Prince Calix stopped abruptly and turned around for his eyes to examine me. "We cannot have you dancing like that," he said and spun me around.

"Like what?" I asked, moments before his fingers undid the buttons, keeping the cape, hiding the secrets of my dress in place.

"Prince Calix!" I gasped, reaching for his hands as I turned around, but he'd already undone the last button and removed the fabric from my neck, allowing the heavy air to caress my naked back. It felt unsettling.

He tossed the cape over the back of a chair, leaving it out of my reach before grabbing my hands to guide me to the dance floor.

"May I ask why you've been hiding that gorgeous dress all night?" Prince Calix asked, his eyes glinting with uneasy mischief.

I opened my mouth to hiss a response and lecture him on how to treat women properly when his warm palm teased my bare skin, infecting my entire body with goosebumps.

Prince Calix may not have been Caiden, but the physical contact between his hand and my lower back was unfamiliar to me when nothing was to shield my sensitive skin.

He took advantage of my shocked state and guided me to the center of the floor. I immediately caught sight of Calla and Piper, who both eyed my unexpected appearance with Prince Calix at my side.

I tried signaling them to help me escape this troublesome situation, but they simply grinned and ignored my pleading request.

The music was fast-paced and unsuited for couples. However, before I could voice the additional concern, Prince Calix waved at the musicians, signaling them to adjust the music into a melody I recognized immediately — and I wasn't the only one.

Every suitor suddenly flooded the floor as the music of the Golden Harmony played through the intro, grabbing a partner on their way here. Within seconds, we were surrounded by dresses and suits, all eager to begin the dance that had been passed down through generations.

"Are you familiar with the melody?" Calix asked and bowed to imitate the rest of the men surrounding us.

"Very," I answered, smiling, before placing my hand in his and allowing him to guide me around him in a circle. "My dad taught me this dance nearly ten years ago, but we still dance it from time to time whenever we hear the melody being played. We once heard it playing during one of our rare visits to the Golden Square, and he grabbed my hand to dance in front of hundreds of people. It was embarrassing but a very typical thing for him to do."

I loved dancing with my dad, and we'd soon be able to teach Tristan the same dance — in less than two years.

"Ah, yes," Calix said as I stopped in front of him again. "I have been made aware that you never attended an academy, but I have never been told the full story of your accident when my father and brother came to visit your old workplace. You must tell me more about that someday."